Nikita Mazepin gets permission from the EU to compete again on European tracks.
Nikita Mazepin did not score a single point in the F1 series while competing with Haas. PDO
Former F1 driver Nikita Mazepin was allowed to return to European racetracks on Thursday, after the General Court of the European Union lifted some of the sanctions against him. The Russian Mazepin had been put on the EU sanctions list Dmitri– because of his father’s business patterns.
Most recently, Mazepin raced for the Haas team, which was financed by his father’s company Uralkali before the outbreak of the Ukrainian war. Haas terminated both Mazepin’s and Uralkal’s contracts after Russia attacked Ukraine.
Thursday’s ruling by the EU’s General Court still prohibits Mazepin from competing in a team that has connections to his father’s or other Russian companies found on the EU’s sanctions list.
– Nikita Mazepin must undertake to compete under a neutral flag and sign the driver’s commitment required by the International Automobile Association, the order of the EU General Court says.
The decision concerns the F1 series or another motorsport series competing in Europe.
Mazepin welcomed the news of the EU’s decision with joy.
– I am very satisfied with this decision, which gives me hope to continue my professional career in international motorsport, Mazepin tells AFP.
The General Court of the EU considered that Mazepin “is in no way involved in the attack that Ukraine suffered”.
– As a professional athlete, he has maintained a neutral position. He only asks that he be given the opportunity to continue his career without his father’s financial support, the court reasons.
In addition, the General Court justifies the decision by the fact that it has not received convincing evidence to show that Mazepin is still connected to his father financially.
Mazepin competed in F1 for one season in 2021. He finished last in the points table without a single point. After his F1 career, which remained a pancake, Mazepin has competed in the Asian Le Mans series.